Fort Wayne man pleads guilty to raping woman at New Year's party

News-Sentinel staff reports

Saturday, January 19, 2013 - 7:15 am

A Fort Wayne man pleaded guilty this week to sexually assaulting a drunken woman during a New Year’s Eve party Jan. 1, 2012.

Charles D. Burrage, 19, admitted to a single count of rape, according to paperwork filed Thursday in Allen Superior Court. Prosecutors dropped a charge of criminal deviate conduct in the plea deal, which calls for Burrage to serve two years of an eight-year prison sentence, plus four years of probation.

According to court documents, Burrage approached the woman in the early hours of Jan. 1 during a party at a home on Eagle Crest Trail. At the time, the woman was throwing up in the bathroom because she had too much to drink, the documents said.

The woman told police that Burrage came into the bathroom, shut off the light and started touching her, the documents said. Even though the woman protested, Burrage allegedly touched her genitals and pushed her onto her back, the documents said.

The woman told police that she began to cry and said “please don’t” as Burrage allegedly took off his pants and sexually assaulted her. According to the woman's testimony, Burrage abruptly stopped and got dressed when another partygoer knocked on the door. Fort Wayne Police arrived at the scene after someone reported a rape.

During interviews with police, Burrage at first denied having sex with the woman but later changed his story to say he had touched her genitals and perhaps kissed her once, the documents said.

Samples taken from Burrage and woman indicated the possibility that some of their DNA was found on one another, the documents said.